Rijksmuseum gardens

The gardens of the Rijksmuseum, located around the famous museum in Amsterdam, are an oasis of tranquility and beauty, a place where nature and art harmoniously meet. Designed by architect Pierre Cuypers, who also designed the museum building and Amsterdam Central Station, the gardens were conceived as an open-air museum, a living exhibition of sculptures and fragments of historic Dutch buildings. The construction of the gardens began in 1885 and was completed in 1916, with each section characterized by a particular architectural style. The western and eastern parts are inspired by the Renaissance style, while the southern part follows the classical French style. The southeastern part features a rustic style, with the two front areas of the garden, on the side of Stadhouderskade, designed in a simple geometric pattern. Among the most distinctive elements of the gardens are the historic gates transferred from other Dutch cities. The Bergpoort from Deventer and the Herepoort from Groningen, for example, were combined by Cuypers to create a single imposing gate. This process of transferring and integrating historic architectural elements enriches the character of the gardens, transforming them into a sort of open-air architecture museum. One of the most fascinating aspects of the gardens is the variety of historic plants and bulbs present. With over 7,000 plants and 16,000 bulbs provided by Keukenhof, the gardens reflect meticulous attention to biodiversity and the conservation of plant species. Visitors can also admire fragments of historic buildings, such as parts of the Regulierspoort, originally located at Rembrandtplein, and the entrance gate of the 18th-century Over-Amstel country house. Another characteristic element of the gardens is the Caucasian Wingnut, a majestic tree planted by Cuypers himself near the villa of the former museum director. This villa, built in 1883, was the director’s residence until 1945 and was later used for board meetings of the museum. The Rijksmuseum Boerhaave also offers an interactive and educational experience with installations such as a large outdoor chessboard and an automatic fountain, much loved by children. Every summer, the gardens host temporary exhibitions of contemporary sculptures, offering a continuous dialogue between historical and modern art. The conservation of the gardens has undergone various phases of restoration, with a major recovery plan in the 1960s and further restructuring in 1995, when a pond was created near the Asian pavilion. After the extensive renovation of the museum completed in 2013, the landscape architecture studio Copijn renewed the gardens, maintaining their historical integrity and improving their accessibility and usability.